The Reading of Golshan-e Rāz’s Exegetes of the Fixed Essences and Its Comparison with Ibn Arabī's Views

Abstract

The term ‘fixed essences’ was coined by Muhyiddīn Ibn Arabī. It was further used by his followers one of whom can be named as Sheikh Mahmoud Shabetarī. The term refers to the Divine names and the truth of external objects. In other words, they stand as a medium between God and the tangible world. When God’s divine will for the creation of the world and its creatures was settled, it was primarily manifested to the ‘fixed essences’ and then the universe and the creatures came into existence of the material world. Shabestarī, based on the ideas of Sheikh Akbar, and by applying his tools of expression and allegories, tried to define the spirit of the ‘fixed essences’. This paper is based on the readings of five exegetes’ attempts to describe the fixed essences in 1000 couplet of Golshan-e Rāz and then it tries to compare them to Sheikh Akbar's viewpoints.

Keywords

• keywords: fixed essences
• ibn arabī
• shabestarī
• golshan-e rāz